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Greg Miller update

I seem to get more reader email about him than any other Dodgers prospect, so I thought I would check in with him this morning. The amazing thing is that he has maintained a great, upbeat attitude and a sunny personality through all of the trials he has been through with his career these past few years. But he also is realistic. When I asked him about last year, he said, “It was another pretty rough year.” Indeed, he walked 63 batters in 53 2/3 innings at Las Vegas, plus hitting nine batters and throwing 12 wild pitches. The result was a 7.71 ERA in 48 relief appearances. Still, I had been told by De Jon Watson this winter — and Greg confirmed it this morning — that there were flashes when he seemed to have conquered his demons, and that’s an encouraging sign. The other encouraging sign is that he went to the Instructional League last fall and felt he pitched well there. He is still on the 40-man roster, so the organization hasn’t given up on him, and he hasn’t given up on himself, either.
“You never really know,” Miller said. “I am definitely thankful that they have given me two, three, four and five opportunities. At the same time, there is always a chance the organization might say enough is enough.”
The good news is that he has learned to recognize one of his problems, which is that he tends to want to go too hard and too fast when he gets into trouble. He told me this morning that Vegas 3Bs Luis Maza and Terry Tiffee would often hold the ball for a few seconds after it was thrown in from the outfield just to give him some time to gather himself and calm down. So it sounds like he is on the right track. We should get a better read on the situation when the Cactus League starts up next week.

Bene never had control, Miller did, before his surgeries, and attempts to alter his motion. Good news that he still has an option. Still only 24. After all, another lefty, Sandy Koufax, didn’t start putting it together until he was 25. You never know, and long as the Dodgers retain control there is still hope. No guarantees, but it can happen.

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